Fantasy Profile: Jay Bruce, OF, Cincinnati Reds

Welcome back to the 2015 Last Word on Fantasy Baseball Guide.  Over the next several months we will be releasing player profiles, projections, position rankings, and a number of other articles that will help you dominate your fantasy league this season. Whether you play rotisserie or head-to-head; whether you have a standard draft, a snake or an auction league, and whether its keeper league or a one-year deal; we have all the fantasy information you need.

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FANTASY PROFILE: Jay Bruce, OF, Cincinnati Reds

LWOS Ranking 29, Captain’s Value: $11.45

The 2014 season was a major disappointment for Jay Bruce and anyone who drafted him and expected him to hit 30+ HR.  In addition to falling short of expectations, he had career lows in both AVG (.217) and HR (18). One red flag that pops up when examining his numbers is that his BB% has steadily decreased over the last few seasons and his K% has been steadily increasing over the last few years.

While his decreased power totals could have been impacted by some bad luck as his 15.3% HR/FB rate tied for his career low set at 2010, his batted ball distribution from last year contains some more red flags. In 2014, he had a career high GB% and a career low in FB% last year indicating his lower power numbers from last year could be more than an aberration.

Even with these red flags, there are signs that 2015 will at least not be as bad as 2014. First, he is still relatively young, he gets to play his home games at Great American Ballpark and while he is not going to win any batting titles, his AVG should improve this year as his BABIP was 24 points below his career total.

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